Did You Know? ‘Wicked’ Author Born And Raised In Upstate New York

Wicked Ties to the Capital Region

Upstate New York can stake claim to a distinguished panel of high-profile athletes, celebrities, movie stars, musicians, politicians, inventors, and more.

So it should come as no surprise to anyone that the author of the box office juggernaut, 'Wicked,' was born, raised, and even educated in Upstate New York.

Since its November 22nd opening, 'Wicked,' the Broadway musical adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, and Jonathan Bailey, has been a box office smash, and recently, it became the first movie of its kind to pass $300 million in the United States.

However, none of this would have been possible without the author, Gregory Maguire, an Albany, New York resident born and raised who also got his college degree from the University of Albany in 1976.

Who is Gregory Maguire?

Gregory Maguire, who now makes his home in Massachusetts, is the author of Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and several other novels for adults and children.

Wicked, published in 1995, was his first novel for adults, and 8 years after it was published, it became a wildly successful Broadway musical, which was later adapted into a two-part musical.

The first half was released in November, and the second half is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Great Danes Defy Gravity

In a Facebook post published on Monday, the University at Albany proudly congratulated their alum and even wrote about the time he donated handwritten versions of the first few chapters of Wicked, writing: